Submarine mine



G. E. ELIA AND T. K. NORTH.

r. K. NORTH, ADMINISTRAToR of T. K. NoRTHkDEc'D.

SUBMARINE MINE. APLICTION FILED SEPT. 6, |917.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

UNITED sTaTns PATENT OFFICE.

GIOVANNI' EMANUELE ELIA, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, AND THOMAS KEPPEL 'NORTEL fDECEASED, BY FREDERICK KEPPEL NORTH, ADMINISTRATOR, 0F SWAFFHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS '1,0 VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER,

LONDON, ENGLAND.

To all whom t may` concern:

Beit known that we, GIOVANNI EMAN- UELE'EIIA, a subject of the KingV of Italy, residing' at Vickers House, Broadway, I/Vestminsten in the county of London, England,

King of Great Britain, deceased, who, conjointly with the said GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, invented new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Submarine Mines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the firing mechanism of submarine mines.

According to the present invention the said firing gear comprises a member (hereinafter called the driving member) which is rotatably mounted within a flanged bearing provided at the base of the flotation chamber or mine proper and has one of its extremities connected to the usual mooring Cable and the other xed to a spring controlled striker, the said driving member being normally held lockedl to theY flotation chamber by means of detents which, when the driving member is actuated by a rotary striker arm located externallyof the otation chamber, are caused to release the driving member so that', owing to buoyancy, the

flotation chamber and 'its flanged bearing move axially relatively to the driving` member. rIhe external junction between the said iianged bearing and the said driving meniber is adapted to be hermetically sealed Y without the use of a packing gland by means of a sleeve of the corrugated extensible type, which sleeve we prefer to make of lead7 one end of which is connected to the flanged bearingand the other end rto the driving member, said flanged bearing preferably forming part of a box-like casing attached to the base of the flotation chamber andY containing the aforesaid detents which may be spring controlled.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will'now be described more fully with .reference to the accompanying drawing which shows the-preferred embodimentjotthe invention and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of part of SUBMARINE MINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented M31-, 16,1920.

Application filed September 6, 17917.- Serial No. 190,096. i

the flotation chamber of a mine fitted with firing gear constructed according vto the present vinvention the parts being shown in their locked or inoperative position.

F-ig. 2 is a plan view of the iiring gear with certain parts removed in Order to show others more clearly.

Fig. 3 .is a part sectional view taken at right angles to Fig. land y Fig. 4 is a sectional view 'of .the firing gear casing taken at right angles to Fig. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are details hereinafter more .particularly referred to.

1 is the driving member, 2 is the aforesaid ilanged bearing which in the example shown forms part of a hermetically sealed box-like casing 3 located at the base of the flotation chamber 4. The upper end 5 of the driving member is fixed to the striker connecting rod 6 and the lowerend 7 to a shackle 8 to which the mooring 'cable is` convnected; the said driving member also car-V ries the rotary striker arm 10. The locking devices whichnormally lockthe drivf ing member 1 against rotation comprise the aforesaid movable detents 11 (Figs. 2 and 3) and also spring controlled yokes 21. The

said detents 11 which are two in number are located diametrically opposite to one another and are slidably mounted in recesses in a circular plate 22, their' inner extremi-v ties 12 being beveled or chamfered and fenf gaging recesses 13 in the driving member 1, the said recesses being also beveled or chamered at 14 so thatl the contacting surfaces have cam-like faces.V The other extremity 15 of each detent, which is recessed and has also beveled or chamiered edges, y abuts against a vertically disposed roller 16 ro-' tatably mounted In bearings in the hollow box-like casing 3. l A second pair or" dia-metrieally and vertically disposed rollers 18 are mounted 1n protruding bosses 19 in the aforesaid box-like casing 3 the saidrollers 18 being normally engaged by the aforesaid spring controlled'yokes 21. The plate 22 is att-ached to the driving' member y1 by being formed with protuberances whichjengage elongated vertical slots 24 in the said driving member 1 so that while participatingin' the rotary movement ofthe driving member the plate can movev freely in an axial direction, relatively to the driving member. ,The spring controlled yokes 21 comprise plates or bars spaced apart by 'rods 29 and helical springs 28, the yokes being capable of slight to and fro movement against the influence of the said springs 28. Elongated slots 25 in their underfaces are engaged by vertical pins 26 carried by said revolving plate 22 so as to constrain the range of movement of the yokes 21. Each yoke 21 at the point` where it engages the roller 18 is formed with a circular recess 27, the yokes being normally held in frictional contact with the rollers 18 by the pressure of the said springs 28. One extremity 30 of each rod 29 is slid-\ ably mounted within the yokes 21 so that the' yokes can oscillate slightly on the rods 29 against the action of the springs 28. When the rotary striker arm 10 is operated by a passing vessel the driving member l and also the revolving plate 22 will rotate and cause the yokes 21 to override their engaging rollers 18. Simultaneously the detents 11 will also be carried clear of .their engag!l ing rollers 16 and thereafter will be caused' to move radially outward into the'recesses 31 beyond the protruding bosses 17 under the influence of' the buoyancy pull of the flotation chamber 4, thus releasing the driving member 1 and allowing the flotation chamber 4 to rise under the influence of its buoyancy in an axial direction relatively to the 'driving member. The springs 28 are so selected that a blow of predetermined strength must be imparted to the striker arm l() before the driving member is released` from the flotation chamber.

The aforesaid box-like casing which is adapted to hermetically inclose the releasing mechanism for the firing gear may comprise hollow circular outer and inner parts 33 and 32 respectively. The outer part 33 is located mainly outside the mine casing and has a flanged annulus 34 which fits within the inner part 32 and is secured thereto by means of screws 35, the joints being rendered water tight by a rubber ring 36 and a flanged steel ring 36. The said outer part 33 is formed with the aforesaid flanged bearing 2 for the driving member 1, the inner end of the bearing 2 resting upon an annular boss 37 on the driving member, the junction between the parts 2 and l, at which the separation of the flotation chamber from the driving member takes place, being rendered watertight without the use of a packed gland by a corrugated extensible sleeve 38', which may be made of lead, one end of the tube being attached to the said flanged bearing 2 and the other to the bossv 37 on the driving member. The atta-ching means (Fig. 5) comprises flexible wires 39 each having screw threaded ends 40, which after being passed around the corrugated tube 38,

- are inserted through openings in a block 41 which bears on the said tube, the ends being finally secured to the vblock by means of nuts 44 inserted over the screw threaded ends 40. It will be understood that on release of the driving member 1 the corrugations in the sleeve 38 are straightened out and permit of the axial movement of the flotation chamber relatively to the driving member which is required to cock and fire the mine. The inner part 32 is welded to the mine casing at '44 and between the said inner and `outer parts a plate 45 is located which serves as a cover for the outer part 33 and is adapted to be connected thereto by screws 46 o (Fi The said cover plate 45 is formed wit a flanged bearing 47 for the striker connecting rod 6, the saidbearing 47 serving as an 'abutment for one end of the striker spring '51 and being externally screw threaded an 'having attached to it the lower end of the striker' casing 50. The striker which it is preferred to employ .with the aforesaid firing gear,comprises a striker head 547 provided 'as usual with a striker point 55. The lower endV of the connecting rod 6 is screwed into 'the drivin member at 56 and the u per end Y is detacha ly connected to the stri er head by two conically ended pins 57 the inner ends of which engage within a 'recess in the l.

rod 6 and the outer ends of which normally abut against the wall of the striker casing 50. The detent pins 57 release the striker hea-d from its connecting vrod when the striker spring is compressed and the detents are brought opposite an -annular groove 58 provided in the lower part of the casing 50. The striker arm 10 employed is preferably of the folding lever-arm type andis connected to the drivin member 1 by having its inner end passe Vthrough va transverse hole 59 formedV therein and locked against withdrawal by a cotter pin 60 which engages within a recess 61 formed at ri t angles to the axis of the driving memV .r 1 so as to prevent the striker arm 10 from rotating. The outer end of the striker arm is retained in its folded or inoperative condition byr means of a cradle 62 (Fig. 6) connected to the flotation chamber. Pivotally mounted on the said cradle 62 is a member 63 the front end 64 of which engages and holds the striker arm within the cradle. A soluble plug 67 is located between the rear end of the said member 63 and a rece in the cradle. When the soluble plug is in position the front end 64 of the member 63 bears on the extremity of the striker arm and retains it in place within the cradle 62 but when the plug is dissolved by the action i of the sea water after the launching of the mine7 the striker arm is free to disengage itself from the cradle under the influence of the extension spring 65 and is forced by the spring 65 into a position at right angles to f adjusted when necessary to compensate for any variation in the length of the soluble plugs employed.

What We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A submarine mine comprising a striker arm, a driving member which is adapted to have an angular movement imparted to it by the said striker arm, one of the extremities of the said driving member being connected to the mooring cable of the mine and the other being fixed to a spring controlled striker forming part of the firing gear, displaceable detents Whichnormally lock the driving member to the flotation chamber, resilient means which control the movement of said detents, said detents when the striker arm is actuated being displaced .so as to release the driving member for the purpose speciied,

2. A submarine mine comprising a rotatable driving member which controls the actuation of the firing gear and which is normally locked to the flotation chamber by detents Vslidably mounted Within a plate which can participate only in they rotary movement of the driving member, the inner ends of said detents being beveled or chamfered to engage Within similarly formed recesses in the driving member and the outer ends abutting against rollers carried on a. lixed part of the casing of the flotation chamber for the purpose specified. Y

3. A submarine mine comprising a rotatable driving member which Controls the Y actuation of the firing gear and which is normally locked tothe flotation chamber by radial detents and spring controlled yokes which prevent rotation of the driving member and the release of the said detents until a turning movement of considerable force is transmitted to the driving member.

4. A submarine mine in Which the iring gear is controlled by devices comprising a rotatable driving member which carries a striker arm and has one of its extremities connected to a spring controlled striker forming part of the iiring gear and its other extremity connected to the mooring cable, a rotatable plate carrying radially displaceable detents which normally serve to lock the dotation chamber to the driving member by engaging at their inner beveled extremities within recesses inthe driving memf ber and abutting with their outer extremities against rollers carried by the flotation chamber, and displaceable yokes also carried by and rotatable with said plate, said yokes Y being normally held by spring pressure in frictional contact with rollers rotatably mounted on the flotation chamber 'for the purpose specified.

5. A submarine mine comprising a driving member which controls the actuation of the firing gear and Which is rotatably mounted Within a flanged bearing located at the base of the flotation chamber, displaceable detents which normally lock the said driving member to the flotation chamber, resilient means Which control said detents, and an eXtensible sleeve which hermetically seals the external junction formed by the abutting parts of the said flanged bearing and the said driving member.

6. A submarine mine comprising a striker arm, said striker arm having a hinged outer end, a cradle connected to the flotation chamber Within which the hinged outer end of the striker arm is normally retained in a bent and inoperative position, a soluble plug for retaining the said hinged striker arm within said cradle and a spring controlled sleeve which When the soluble plughas dissolved by the action of the sea Water after launching of the mine causes the hinged outer end of the striker arm to straighten out and assume an operative position said sleeve Vthereafter acting to retain the striker arm in its operative position.

7. A firing device of the character described comprisinga mine, a rotatable firing rod movable relatively to the mine in the direction of its length, a disk rotatable with said rod but permitting relative movement of the rod and disk in thedirection of the length of the rod, paivls mounted in said disk and engaging the rod to normally prevent such relative movement, resilient means carried by the disk for resisting rotative movement of the rod, and means for rendering the resilient means inactive; substantially as described.

8. ln a tiring device of the charac-ter described, the combination with a. casing of a firing rod rotatable in the casing and mov able relatively thereto in the direction of its length, a disk located Within the casing rotatable with the rod and permitting longitudinal movement of the rod relatively thereto, pa-Wls carried by the disk and arranged to engage the rod, rollers carried by the casing for preventing the disengagement of the pawls, yokes carried by the disk and movable transversely thereof, resilient means for forcing the yokes apart, rollers on the casing for engaging the yokes and resisting rotation of the disk, and means for rotating the rod and disk against the action of said resilient means; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, We aliiX our signatures. f

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA. FREDERICK KEPPEL NORTH, Administrator of Thomas Keppel North. 

